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Brightest and best combat climate change

A decade of climate change research has been showcased in Wellington today.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor launched a commemorative booklet to celebrate 150 research projects funded through the Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change Research Programme (SLMACC).

Established under the previous Labour Government and funded and managed by MPI, SLMACC has invested $50 million towards a range of initiatives that have grown our understanding of climate change in the primary sectors and how to tackle it.

“It is work like this that gives me the opportunity to show New Zealand’s international leadership in climate-friendly agriculture, including at the first Global Research Alliance Conference on Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Food Security in Berlin next week,” Damien O’Connor said.

“A warming planet means we must diversify our economy while working in partnership with our primary sectors to make the most of our competitive advantage – precious soils, access to freshwater and a temperate climate,” Damien O’Connor said.

“The booklet, Investing in Tomorrow, demonstrates agricultural greenhouse gas mitigation, carbon sink enhancement through forestry, and how to capitalise on potential opportunities arising from the response to climate change.

“These are excellent building blocks as we take action to move towards a more valuable, productive and sustainable primary sector – and away from a reliance on volume growth of commodities at the expense of our natural resources.

“This knowledge stems from some of the brightest and best of our primary sector scientists and is a milestone worthy of acknowledgement today,” Damien O’Connor said.